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UNC awards Doctorate degree to Premier Research biostatistician

Premier Research Group Limited, an international CRO with considerable oncology research expertise, is pleased to announce that Dr. Liddy Chen has received a Doctorate degree in Biostatistics, focusing on study design issues in advanced survival models with major application to oncology clinical trials, from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

28 Oct 2010

Older patients suffer with real life-changing burdens after beating sepsis: Study

A study of nearly 1,200 older patients hospitalized for severe sepsis indicate that those who survive are at higher risk for long-term cognitive impairment and physical limitations than those hospitalized for other reasons.

28 Oct 2010

Improved end-of-life care needed in Canada

Better psychological and spiritual support, improved planning of care and stronger relationships with physicians are necessary to improve end-of-life care in Canada, according to a study by a Queen's University professor.

28 Oct 2010

PCP credits dedicated primary care community for formation of Harvard's new Center

Harvard Medical School's (HMS) establishment of its $30 million Center for Primary Care is a powerful statement of the importance of primary care and the role major medical institutions must play in its transformation, according to Boston-based nonprofit Primary Care Progress (PCP). PCP credits a dedicated and engaged primary care community, partnering with a visionary dean, for the formation of Harvard's new Center.

28 Oct 2010

PFF’s national scientific conference improves clinical understanding of IPF

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) today announced that it is establishing a national scientific conference for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) physicians and patients beginning in 2011. IPF Summit 2011 From Bench to Bedside, will be held at the Marriott Magnificent Mile in Chicago, IL on December 1-3, 2011.

28 Oct 2010

Individuals can consciously control neurons inside the head, study finds

Five years ago, neuroscientist Christof Koch of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), neurosurgeon Itzhak Fried of UCLA, and their colleagues discovered that a single neuron in the human brain can function much like a sophisticated computer and recognize people, landmarks, and objects, suggesting that a consistent and explicit code may help transform complex visual representations into long-term and more abstract memories.

28 Oct 2010

Pfizer announces publication of crizotinib data for NSCLC patients in New England Journal of Medicine

Pfizer Inc. announced today the publication of data showing that 57 percent of ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with crizotinib (PF-02341066), an investigational oral anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor, had either a complete (one patient) or partial (46 patients) response to treatment. Data from 82 patients in this Part 2 expansion cohort of the Phase 1 study were published in the October 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

28 Oct 2010

Immune system may play a role in cancer therapies: Study

The immune system may play a critical role in ensuring the success of certain types of cancer therapies, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The research showed treatments that disable cancer-promoting genes called oncogenes are much more successful in eradicating tumors in the presence of a signaling molecule secreted by kind of immune cell called a T helper cell.

28 Oct 2010

ESHRE releases new textbook for paramedics in the field of reproductive medicine

The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has published the first textbook for paramedics in the field of reproductive medicine in the English language.

28 Oct 2010

Cholera outbreak in Haiti shows 'slight slowing,' but experts say interventions should continue

Nearly 300 people have died from cholera and 3,612 have been diagnosed with the disease in Haiti's week-old epidemic, Reuters reports, citing numbers from Haitian health authorities.

28 Oct 2010

Scientists determine tertiary structure of TehA membrane protein in Haemophilus bacteria

Proteins are molecular machines that transport substances, catalyze chemical reactions, pump ions, and identify signaling substances. They are chains of amino acids and the individual amino acid sequence is known for many of them. However, the functions a protein can carry out inside the cell are determined by the three-dimensional spatial structure of the protein. Establishing this so-called tertiary structure presents a great challenge to scientists.

28 Oct 2010

1000 Genomes Project publishes comprehensive map of genetic variations in Nature journal

Small genetic differences between individuals help explain why some people have a higher risk than others for developing illnesses such as diabetes or cancer. Today in the journal Nature, the 1000 Genomes Project, an international public-private consortium, published the most comprehensive map of these genetic differences, called variations, estimated to contain approximately 95 percent of the genetic variation of any person on Earth.

28 Oct 2010

New national campaign to drive awareness on DVT and PE prevention in women

As many as 600,000 people are affected by deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) every year, and more than half of those are never diagnosed. Some people experience swelling and varying levels of discomfort in the affected area, and some don't feel anything at all. But the symptoms of DVT can be similar to other conditions, like a pulled muscle, and because some people with DVT do not have any symptoms, there is often a delay in diagnosis. That's when DVT can be fatal.

28 Oct 2010

Health Canada approves PRADAX anticoagulant for stroke prevention in AF patients

Boehringer Ingelheim Ltd. today announces that Health Canada has granted approval of PRADAX (dabigatran etexilate), an oral anticoagulant for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in adults with atrial fibrillation in whom anticoagulation is appropriate. PRADAX is the first innovative drug approved in Canada in more than two decades to reduce the risk of stroke in Canadians with atrial fibrillation.

28 Oct 2010

New oral drug shrinks IMT sarcoma driven by abnormally activated protein

A new oral drug caused dramatic shrinkage of a patient's rare, aggressive form of soft-tissue cancer that was driven by an abnormally activated protein, physician-scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report in the Oct. 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

28 Oct 2010

Omnyx initiates research testing of digital pathology platform

GE Healthcare and UPMC announced today that their imaging joint venture, Omnyx, is initiating clinical research testing of a breakthrough digital pathology platform that is expected to help transform the 125-year-old practice of pathologists using glass slides.

28 Oct 2010

Lotus receives Chinese SFDA approval for R-Bambuterol Hydrochloride Phase I human clinical trials

Lotus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a fast-growing, profitable developer, manufacturer and seller of medicine and drugs in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), announced today that it received approval from the State Food and Drug Administration ("SFDA") Ethics Committee to commence Phase I human clinical trials of R-Bambuterol Hydrochloride, the Company's proprietary drug candidate for the treatment of asthma.

28 Oct 2010

PLoS Medicine: Journals need to develop policies for inevitable competing interests

Journals need to develop policies to handle the inevitable competing interests that arise when they publish papers that may bring them reprint revenue or increase their impact factors. This is the conclusion of a research article by Andreas Lundh and colleagues from the Nordic Cochrane Centre published in this weeks PLoS Medicine.

27 Oct 2010

NIH awards $12M over 3 years to promote diversity in scientific workforce

The National Institutes of Health has awarded six grants totaling approximately $12 million over three years through a new initiative aimed at fostering a diverse scientific workforce. The initiative, called the NIH Director's ARRA Funded Pathfinder Award to Promote Diversity in the Scientific Workforce, is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and administered by NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

27 Oct 2010

Vical to present preclinical results of HSV-2 vaccine program at Keystone Symposium

Vical Incorporated today announced that the company's Vice President of Clinical Development, Richard T. Kenney, M.D., is presenting preclinical results from the company's herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) vaccine program in a poster session Friday morning at the Keystone Symposium on Immunological Mechanisms of Vaccination (Seattle, October 27 – November 1).

27 Oct 2010

Medicine News and Research

UNC awards Doctorate degree to Premier Research biostatistician

Older patients suffer with real life-changing burdens after beating sepsis: Study

Improved end-of-life care needed in Canada

PCP credits dedicated primary care community for formation of Harvard's new Center

PFF’s national scientific conference improves clinical understanding of IPF

Individuals can consciously control neurons inside the head, study finds

Pfizer announces publication of crizotinib data for NSCLC patients in New England Journal of Medicine

Immune system may play a role in cancer therapies: Study

ESHRE releases new textbook for paramedics in the field of reproductive medicine

Cholera outbreak in Haiti shows 'slight slowing,' but experts say interventions should continue

Scientists determine tertiary structure of TehA membrane protein in Haemophilus bacteria

1000 Genomes Project publishes comprehensive map of genetic variations in Nature journal

New national campaign to drive awareness on DVT and PE prevention in women

Health Canada approves PRADAX anticoagulant for stroke prevention in AF patients

New oral drug shrinks IMT sarcoma driven by abnormally activated protein

Omnyx initiates research testing of digital pathology platform

Lotus receives Chinese SFDA approval for R-Bambuterol Hydrochloride Phase I human clinical trials

PLoS Medicine: Journals need to develop policies for inevitable competing interests

NIH awards $12M over 3 years to promote diversity in scientific workforce

Vical to present preclinical results of HSV-2 vaccine program at Keystone Symposium

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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